Skill game with ball movable in spherical container



P 3, 1 68 R. P. SMITH 3,399,894

SKILL GAME WITH BALL MOVABLE IN SPHERICAL CONTAINER H Filed July 20,1965 fi/CHA RD I AUL 544/ TH United States Patent O 3,399,894 I SKILLGAME WITH BALL MOVABLE IN SPHERICAL CONTAINER Richard Paul Smith, Pasco,Wash. (11622 W. Silver Lake Drive, Everett, Wash.

Filed July 20, 1965, SenNo. 473,384 6 Claims. (Cl. 273-115) ABSTRACT OFTHE, DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a novel puzzle game ofextremely simple construction, but requiring considerable skill anddexterity to play the game successfully.

An object of the invention is to provide a puzzle game which, inaddition to affording amusement to the player, is also beneficial indeveloping dexterity and coordination, necessary to the successfulaccomplishment of the game.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus whichmay be played very rapidly to a successful conclusion where the playeris sufficiently skillful, and wherein a movable part of the game may bequickly restored to a starting position after the conclusion of either asuccessful or unsuccessful play of the game.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

FIGURE 1 is a horizontal sectional view, primarily in top plan, takensubstantially along the line 1-1 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view, partly in side elevation andpartly broken away, taken substantially along the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 on a somewhat reduced scale andshowing the game substantially inverted from its position in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 44 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken substantiallyalong a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantiallyalong a plane as indicated by the line 6-6 of FIGURE 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the puzzle game in itsentirety is designated generally 8 and includes a container 9 which isshown in the form of a hollow transparent sphere which contains threeplates 10, 11 and 12 constituting floors or platforms. In the embodimentas disclosed, the plates are generally circular but have radialprojections 13 extending outwardly from the peripheral edges 14 thereofand which are disposed in spaced apart relation to one another. Theprojections 13 of the thre. plates may be secured in any conventionalmanner to the inner surface of the sphere or container 9 for positioningthe floors or platforms in substantially parallel relation to oneanother, and with the intermediate floor or platform 11 being spacedsubstantially equal distances from the upper or top floor and the loweror bottom floor 12.

Two wall members 15 are secured in any conventional manner to the uppersurface of the top floor 10 in spaced apart substantially parallelrelation to one another, and so as to straddle one of the extensions 13of the top floor 10 which thus combines with the walls 15 to form astarting position, designated generally16, o'f'the game apparatus. Aball 17 is capable of being confined in the starting position 16 so thatit can roll therefrom only toward the center of the top floor 10.

The top floor 10, remote from the starting position 16, is provided withan opening 18. The intermediate floor 11 is provided'with an opening 19which is located remote from the opening 18, and the lower floor 12 hasan opening 20 which is disposed remote from the opening 19, so that theopenings 18, 19 and 20 are staggered relative to one another. One end ofa tube 21 is secured in the opening 20 and said tube extends outwardlyor'downwardly from the floor 12 and has its opposite end locatedadjacent to a portion of the container 9, as seen in FIGURES 2, 3 and 5.The ball 17 is of a diameter to pass readily through the openings 18 and19 and readily into the tube 21.

The edges 14 of the floors 10, 11 and 12 are spaced from the wall orbody of the sphere 9 a distance substantially greater than the diameterof the ball 17, so that said ball can readily roll off of any one of theedges 14 and drop by gravity through the sphere between its wall and thefloor or floors disposed beneath the floor off of which the ball rolls.At the conclusion of the play of the game 8, the ball 17 will either bedisposed in the trap tube 21, which is the goal of the player andrepresents a successful play of the game, or under the lower floor 12but not in the tube 21, representing an unsuccessful play of the game,assuming that the floors are located as seen in FIGURES 1 and 2. Theplayer or next player then rotates the sphere 9 from its position ofFIGURE 2 to approximately its position of FIGURE 3 to cause the ball 17to move by gravity from either of its aforementioned concludingpositions to its position of FIGURE 3, directly under the startingposition 16. The game apparatus 8 is then rotated clockwise of itsposition of FIGURE 3 almost to its position of FIGURE 2. During theinitial portion of this movement, the ball 17 will lodge in the startingposition 16 and will be retained therein by gravity until the gameapparatus is turned sufiiciently to elevate the starting position 16slightly above the level of the part of the upper floor 10 which isdisposed remote from said starting position. When this occurs, theplayer must exercise coordination and dexterity in manipulating the gameapparatus 8 to cause the ball 17 to roll by gravity to and through theopening 18 onto the intermediate floor 11. The puzzle game 8 must thenbe tilted in a different direction to guide the ball 17 by gravity alongthe floor 11 to its opening or passage 19 and therethrough by gravityonto the lower floor 12, along which the ball must be guided in the samemanner to lodge in the trap tube 21 by gravity to accomplish asuccessful play of the game. Should the ball 17 roll off of the edge 14of any one of the floors, it will drop by gravity into the space beneaththe lower floor 12 to indicate an unsuccessful play of the game.

The transparency of the sphere 9 enables the ball 17 to be observed bythe player during its aforementioned movements, and, accordingly, thesphere 9 is formed of plastic, glass or other transparent material.Plates 10, 11 and 12 may be formed of the same material or may be formedof various other materials. The ball 17 may be formed of glass, variousmetals, wood, or the like.

The number of floors may be varied and the shape of the puzzle game mayalso be modified. For example, the container 9 could be square orrectangular rather than spherical. A small sounding device, such as agong 22, may be secured to the body of the sphere 9 so as to be lbtiaie'd ifi the-trap 'tube 21 to produce" an audibleindicatinmofasuccessful. conclusion ofathe play. of the-game.

Various other modifications and changes are contemplated and may beresorted to, without departing from the function or scope of theinvention, as hereinafter defined by-the appended claims. A 9

. I claim as my invention: 5 v.

, 1. A puzzle game comprising a hollow transparent containenat leasttwoflat. plates forming a top demand a bottom floor mounted in said.container in spaced apart substantially parallel relationto one another,a ball disposed in said container, said floors having staggered-openi'ngs of diameters greater than the diameter of the ball forpassage of the ball therethrough, each of said floors having narrowprojections spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of; saidball and extending from the marginal edgethereof and secured to thecontainer for positioning the edge portions of the floor, disposedbetweeh the projections, at distances from adjacent-wallportions ,of theconta iner greater than the diameter of said ball for escape of saidball by gravity from the floor over said edge portions, and meansfunctioning with one of the projections of the top floor and with a partof the container and providing a starting-position in which said .ballis initially confined for gravity movement on said top fioor and onlytoward the center thereof.

2. A puzzle game as in claim 1, said container comprising a sphere.

3. A puzzle game as in claim 1, and an intermediate floor mounted insaid container between and spaced from 30 the top floor and bottomfloor, said intermediate floor corresponding with the bottom floor andwith the openth e reof staggered relative toth e opening of the top and4. A puzzle game as in claim 1, and a trap tube secured in and extendingdownwardly from the opening of the bottom floor and combining with apart of the hollow container for trapping the ball after passage of theball through the'opehing of'the bottom floor.

5. A puzzle game as in claim 4, and an audible signal contained in saidtrap tube and sounded by contact of the ball therewith andonl'y when. inthe trap tube.

6. A puzzle game as. in claim 1, said means comprising spaced apartsubstantially parallel wall members fixed to and rising from said topfloor.

References Cited UNITEDSTA ES PATENTS ;1,s99,s33' 02/1933 Strobel273-153 1,294,013 2 1919. Wittrup 273 153 2,515,346 1/1950 Jackson 46 32,772,883 12/1956 Schigas 273-110 FOREIGN PATENTS 583,520 9/1959 Canada.

13,822 Great Britain.

OTHER REFERENCES Playthings, March 1954, p. 682.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner. S. NATTER, Assistant Examiner.

